In a multilateral context, effective negotiation skills are critical for managing interdependencies, leveraging power and influencing outcomes. Mastering negotiation tools can therefore assist in securing beneficial agreements at the international level. Participants in this workshop will receive training from top negotiation experts on effective negotiation skills in multilateral conferences. They will also learn firsthand from experienced diplomats and international civil servants who have successfully negotiated agreements in the peace and security and social and economic spheres.

This workshop is part of the 2011 UNITAR / Olof Palme Memorial Fund Negotiation Series “Towards a level playing field”. This workshop’s objective is to improve international cooperation through more effective negotiating in a multilateral context. Participants who successfully complete this course are eligible to attend one of the second-level courses UNITAR will be offering this year.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Define and distinguish the purposes, products and processes of multilateral conferences;

Assess the strategies and techniques for producing good negotiated outcomes;

Anticipate and address the main challenges in multilateral negotiations, both from the negotiators’ as well as the chair’s perspective;

Analyze negotiation dynamics, based on case studies presented by international experts.

Organization:

The workshop will be held over two days and consists of eight sessions, as outlined on the agenda. The workshop will be co‐facilitated by Professor Minh A. Luong and Mr. Nicholas Coburn-Palo, from Yale and Brown University respectively. The workshop will follow an interactive, participatory and practice‐oriented approach, involving practical exercises, case studies, interactive lectures, and peer‐to‐peer learning. The workshop will be conducted in English.

All participants who successfully complete the workshop will receive a UNITAR Certificate of Participation.

Participants:

Members of the Permanent Missions accredited to the United Nations in New York who wish to participate in this workshop are requested to register online. Registration will be limited to 30 persons. Participation of delegates from for developing and least-developed countries is free-of-charge. Other individuals interested in attendingwill be required to pay a $400 registration fee. The selected participants are requested to regard their participation as a firm commitment.

Date and venue:

The workshop was held at the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations, New York, on Thursday, 13 October 2011 and Friday, 14 October 2011.

The second introductory workshop was held on Thursday, 10 November 2011 and Friday, 11 November 2011 at the Permanent Mission of the Arab Republic of Egypt, New York.